I wonder when was the last time you lost one of your possessions, only for you to find it or for it to turn up some time later (hopefully). We might lose car keys, jewellery, glasses, socks or any other item from a never ending list.
Whilst the above explanation is an appropriate use of this vocabulary, when we use the term ‘lost’ or ‘loss’ in relation to someone who has died, this can set in motion an unfortunate misconception of the finality and ultimate reality of that person never coming back.
Young children do not fully understand the permanence of death, and those with additional needs may interpret any language literally, possibly resulting in them feeling anxious about someone they care about being missing somewhere on their own, or that there is the possibility they could be found if only we look in the right place.
Those of us working with children and young people have a responsibility to support them as best we can in forming healthy blueprints around death, dying and grief. That begins with us using the correct vocabulary and terminology, e.g. death and died, just like we would with names of body parts and terms associated with Phonics, to give just a couple of examples.
#language #vocabulary #terminology #deathanddying